Tales of the Used and Manipulated
by Neon25
Summary: Adam and Clare discuss recent heartbreak, but don't know who's evesdropping.
1. Chapter 1

"Does it ever get better?" Clare sobbed into Adam's shoulder. He let out a soft laugh as he held her close to him.

"Because I'm oh-so-experienced in the field of dating and heartbreak," he remarked sarcastically. "I think you're asking the wrong person, Clare."

Her let herself smile genuinely at Adam. It was always good to have him around, especially now.

Clare just broke up with Eli a few days ago and was still hurt. Sure, she had experienced hurt before with KC but this was different. With Eli, Clare saw more of a future and a better connection than with KC. Plus; it hurt even more when she saw how scared he was in the hospital of being left. Eli was unstable though and Clare couldn't be around that; not anymore.

"It just…it just hurts so much," Clare got out before tears began to freefall from her eyes and onto Adam's shirt again.

"I know, Clare," he said just above a whisper. "I know." Adam tried to choke back his own tears and sadness. He needed to be strong for Clare; she needed him to be strong. But Adam wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up his façade of being fine.

Just last week Adam found out that Fiona wasn't into him but rather into who he once was. It killed him to know that the girl he felt so strongly for, the girl he was falling in love with, had simply been using him as a mask to hide her true intentions and true feelings. That day was still vivid in his mind; when she called him the 'best of both worlds.' He practically heard his heart shatter as the words left her mouth.

Adam's body tensed slightly at the memory and Clare felt it. She pulled away from him and saw the extreme depression in his eyes. Clare felt bad for crying to Adam about her and Eli's break up right after his very own heartbreaking breakup. But she thanked him for being there for her and helping her through this hard time.

Sure, she had other friends like Alli she could cry to, but Alli wouldn't understand what she and Eli had like Adam would. And yeah, Adam could go running to Drew with his problems but Drew wouldn't be anywhere near as caring as Clare would be. So now they found themselves sitting together, comforting each other.

"Thank you, Adam," Clare said, "for being here for me." A smile crept onto his face as Clare pulled him in for a friendly hug.

"I'll always be here for you, Clare," Adam promised. They pulled away and Adam saw Clare's eyes water again. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I just feel so stupid for letting him manipulate me like that," Clare's voice broke. She instantly turned to Adam. "Oh my god, Adam! I didn't mean to put him down like that. I know he's your friend and-"

"Clare!" Adam cut her off with an amused smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's okay. You're my friend too." She nodded. "And for the record, you're not stupid. You were just madly in love and it's totally understandable. Take it from the transgendered idiot who let his girlfriend use him for his body."

Clare looked at Adam's blue eyes. They held a lot of pain and sadness, but hidden beneath all that, she saw rejection. Not just any random rejection, but the rejection of who you are as a person. Clare knew that feeling from seeing Conner struggle under the Shep's rule.

"Adam," Clare whispered. His head turned towards her. "You weren't an idiot; you were just madly in love."

"Stealing my lines again, Edwards?" Adam joked at Clare's use of his quote. She proudly smiled and nodded. "You know, that could be seen as plagiarism?" Clare's mouth dropped at Adam's allusion to a recent note she received from Mrs. Dawes about forgetting to site her sources and possible plagiarism. Adam just laughed heartedly at Clare's expression.

"Well maybe I'll use your quote for a new story I'm working on," Clare said happily.

"Oh? And what might this story be about?" Adam questioned now fully amused.

"It's called Tales of the Used and Manipulated," Clare proudly stated and Adam just laughed.

"So, basically, a nonfiction story about our recent relationships?" Adam questioned Clare. She just laughed at him. "You know nonfiction is for losers right?"

"Hey! I read nonfiction," Clare argued.

"My point exactly!" Adam said jumping up before Clare could slap him. They both laughed. Clare and Adam had forgotten how good it felt to laugh.

In the distance, a bell rang and Clare and Adam shared a look. They were going to be late to class, but they didn't care; this talk was good for both of them and totally worth a tardy.

What they didn't know, was off in the distance, two people sat there listening to their whole conversation. Eli and Fiona now felt totally guilty for putting Clare and Adam through what they did as they watched the two best friends walk through the halls. Eli shut his locker and decided to ditch the rest of class for today. Fiona sat in the Zen garden and let her eyes water at the pain she had caused Adam.

Both Eli and Fiona knew they had wronged the people they cared most about, but didn't know what ot do about it. But both knew they had to fix things. And they would.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam stood at his locker collecting his books when he heard the sound of crutches hitting the floor. He turned his head to see Eli slowly making his way down the hall and towards his locker. Eli saw Adam and began to crutch his way over.

Adam felt bad for Eli. He had been through a lot and was still going through stuff today; most of it related to Julia. He was a hoarder because of Julia, he drove a hearse because of Julia, he never let his guard down because of Julia, and he had lost Clare because of Julia.

Ever since the Spring Fling, Eli was getting help for his mental instability. He and Adam rarely hung out anymore. Instead, Eli would spend his time talking about what's on his mind to his therapist or parents. Most of the time Clare was on his mind. He hated the way things ended with her and wanted to make everything right between them. And that was why he was going to talk with Adam.

After Eli crashed Morty, Clare turned to Adam for support. Yesterday, Eli watched and listened as the two bonded over their shattered hearts. He hated hearing the sadness and pain he had caused in Clare's voice.

"Adam!" Eli called out to the sophomore who stood frozen at his locker. Eli slowly made his way towards Adam and stopped. "Hey Adam."

"Um, hey Eli," Adam said. He wasn't really sure what Eli was doing. They hadn't talked in days and rarely even acknowledged each other's existence.

"So, how are you?" Eli asked. He tried to sound convincing, but Adam could tell he didn't really care.

Adam sighed. "What do you want Eli?" He hated that this is what they had come to.

"How's…how's Clare?" Eli asked unsurely. Adam narrowed his eyes and was staring at Eli. Adam didn't care how close he and Eli once were, he and Clare were closer and he would never let anyone hurt her.

"Fine," Adam responded coldly. He turned to leave, but Eli caught his sleeve before he could.

"Okay, look Adam," Eli spoke harshly, "I get that I hurt Clare, alright? You don't think I'm hurting too? Do you think I wanted things to end the way they did? I didn't. She ended it; not me." Eli's dark tone shifted as he ran his hand through his hair. "I loved her – love her. Adam, if I could take back what I did, I would; but I can't. And that sucks because that means I've lost her forever. But I still care about her and just want to know how she's doing."

"What would make you think I know?" Adam asked skeptically. While he and Clare had been hanging out a lot more lately, Eli had been totally out of the loop because he wasn't at school. He had been at eh hospital to run physical and mental stability tests.

Eli let out a defeated sigh and Adam began to soften towards the junior. "I saw you two the other day and just figured you guys were close. You She was crying and I thought she was leaning on you after our break up." Adam knew what Eli was doing; he was trying to make Adam think that Clare needed support without Eli because she regretted her decision to break up with him.

"Why? Because you don't think she's strong enough to stand on her own two feet without you," Adam spat out at his _former_ best friend. Eli shook his head violently. "You know what Eli? I'm sorry for you, I really am; you've been dealt a tough hand, but guess what? We've all been given some hard times. Clare is just fine without you so don't even try to make me think otherwise."

Adam shut his locker loudly, gathering the attention of a few random students. Then, after shooting Eli a look of disappointment and anger, Adam walked away.

He had always wanted to believe that everyone was wrong and that Eli was just a weird kid, but now, he knew better. Eli was, for lack of a better term, crazy and seriously needed help.

No sooner did Adam turn the corner than he saw Clare standing frozen. Realizing that Clare must've seen him talking to Eli, Adam quickly walked up to her.

"Clare?" he asked. "You okay?"

She didn't move for a moment then looked at him. "What was that all about?" Clare motioned with her head towards the direction from which Adam came.

"Eli asked how you were doing," Adam said nonchalantly. Clare looked at him worried that he had cracked under the pressure and told Eli how miserable she was. "He tried to subliminally convince me that you were really upset without him, but I told him off and then said you were just fine without him."

Clare gave an exasperated sigh. "He can be just so…so…"

"Manipulating?" Adam asked amused at Clare's loss for words. Clare gave him a wide grin and nodded her head. They laughed a little before walking together towards class. Neither of them turned towards the sound of crutches hitting the floor as they paid no attention to the manipulating boy who had crushed Clare's heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Fiona watched as Adam and Clare walked side by side and laughed happily. She couldn't help but smile to see Adam in a good mood. He was one of those people that whenever he smiled, everyone else around just felt this urge to smile too. Adam really was incredible.

And that's why she felt so bad seeing him yesterday. He and Clare were crying and she knew each one of his tears was shed because of her. It killed her to know that she was the source of so much pain and hurt, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it.

Fiona looked on as Clare and Adam separated. He walked into his next class and Clare turned the other way to head towards hers. This would surely be Fiona's only chance. She ran up to Clare.

"Hey Clare!" Fiona greeted with a toothy smile on her face. She waved at the sophomore who looked unsure of what to say. Clare was obviously debating whether or not to talk to Fiona. "How are you doing?" Fiona asked with fake interest. All she really cared about was knowing how Adam was.

"Um, hey," Clare furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm, uh, doing well; and you?" Clare asked courteously.

"I'm doing alright; you know, the usual," Fiona tried to sound cheerful and inconspicuous. But this wasn't how Fiona worked; she was a straight shooter and Clare knew that so there was no point in beating around the bush. "So, you and Adam are pretty close, huh?"

Clare's face immediately went to recognition. "Yeah, I guess so," Clare answered unsurely.

"Well, I've been trying to talk to him, but he just keeps ignoring me," Fiona said. Clare gave her an 'I wonder why' look and Fiona threw her hands up. "I know, I know. He has every right to be mad at me, but I just wish we could be friends, you know? He really is such a sweet guy."

Clare scoffed. "And so what? You want me to talk to him for you or something? Because guess what _Princess_," Clare spat out angrily. She knew calling Fiona princess in this context would bother her and she was right. Fiona's face went sour. "Adam _is_ a sweet guy and doesn't deserve the heart break _you_ caused. Sorry, but there is no way I'm going to let you ever go near him again," Clare huffed.

Fiona looked at Clare with disbelief. Clare wasn't one to tell people off, and, if she ever did, she always did it gently. But then again, heartbreak changes people. Fiona pouted and turned away from the younger girl before walking away angrily.

Clare just smiled to herself. She was proud that she held her ground and stood up for Adam. It felt good to tell off Fiona for hurting her best friend; and you know what? She would do it again if she had to. Just as Clare was patting herself on the back, Adam called out to her.

"Clare!" he excitedly called from down the hallway. She turned to see Adam waving a piece of paper in the air. "Guess what?" he asked stopping right in front of her. Clare shrugged. "I got an A on my history paper! Can you believe it? And A!" Adam was smiling wide and Clare giggled at his happiness. Then Adam noticed the proud grin on Clare's face. "What's got you so giddy?"

"Oh, nothing much," Clare said nonchalantly. Adam just nodded his head and they began to walk to English. "I just told Fiona off is all."

Adam stopped in his tracks. "You did what?" Clare nodded her head to confirm what she had just said. Adam's eyes grew wide. "Clare Edwards telling someone off? That seems a bit out of character. What happened? She make fun of Twilight or something?" Adam asked sarcastically.

Clare looked at him with fake annoyance. "No," she said. "She wanted me to talk to you for her."

"Oh, I see," Adam's playful smile vanished and was replaced by sudden realization. "So, she was trying to – "

"Use me," Clare finished for him. "But I told her back off," Clare said still very proud of herself. Adam laughed at her pride as they continued to walk down the hallway ignoring the loud slapping of heels hitting the granite floor.


	4. Chapter 4

"What did you do to Clare?" Fiona asked angrily. The boy in front of her looked up from his Gothic Tales comic.

"Excuse me?" he said not intimidated by the older girl.

"You did something to Clare and now she's all over Adam!" Fiona yelled at the boy. "What did you do?" she continued to question.

"Hey! What do you care? You and Adam are through and it's your fault," he annoyingly spat back. "Plus, I could ask you the same. What did you do to Adam to make him fawn over Clare?"

"He's not fawning!" Fiona said. "He's just sad and looking for a shoulder to cry on," she added more softly.

Eli sighed. "And Clare is just leaning on Adam for support right now; they're both hurting," he assured Fiona.

"I feel terrible," Fiona admitted. Eli gave her a look of sympathy and nodded his head in understanding.

"I get it; I feel bad too," Eli said. "Seeing them hurt like that, it sucks. I still love Clare but she won't even look at me anymore."

"What happened? You two seemed perfect," Fiona curiously asked.

He shrugged. "I got overprotective and suffocated her. But I couldn't help it," Eli sadly told her, "I'm sick, mentally. There has always been something off with me and I guess, being with Clare, all the stress of the past made me snap. It just sucks that she won't look at me because of something I can't' help, you know?"

Fiona understood. "Yeah. Adam doesn't even care about me anymore. I can't help how I feel; I'm a lesbian and I'm proud. But I just hate it that because of something out of my control Adam won't be near me," Fiona mimicked Eli's hollow tone.

Eli shook his head. "Adam does care about you, a lot," Eli assured a teary eyed Fiona. "Actually, I think he's still in love with you." He turned to Fiona who had tears falling down her cheeks. "After he left you that night, Adam told me why," Eli said. This got Fiona's attention. "It wasn't all because he was mad at you; it was because he cared for you enough to let you go and find out who you are."

Fiona smiled. She never thought Adam would be strong enough to let her go again for her own good. It was nice to have someone like that to care about you. "Thanks, Eli. And take it from someone who knows a thing or two about people; you and Clare were perfect and definitely belong together," Fiona said with confidence.

Eli gave a small smile before he went back to frowning. "I just wish Clare saw that," he said sadly.

"She will; in time," Fiona assured him. "You love her and I'm sure she still loves you, Eli."

"She thinks I manipulated her, Fiona," Eli said bitterly. "She hates me and will never love me again!"

"And I used Adam, but you said he still loves me," Fiona said in a quiet and even tone.

"But it's different," Eli argued. "If you still loved him you would be together. Even though I love Clare, we aren't."

"That's not true Eli," Fiona defiantly said. "I do love Adam, but he won't talk to me because I _used_ him, not because I didn't love him. Just like Clare still loves you but is upset that you manipulated her."

"It's funny," Eli said. "We both have perfectly viable reasons for our ruined relationships – you being gay and me being sick – and yet the ones we love hate us right now because we went denied our problems and went about facing them the wrong way."

Both Eli and Fiona shared a look. Eli had said it perfectly; they both messed up big time, but the love was still there.

Adam and Clare stood against the lockers around the corner as Eli and Fiona fell into silence. They had been standing there long enough to hear the regret and love in the voices of their former lovers. Clare held back tears as Adam gulped quietly. Both of them stood frozen, thinking about what they just heard.

Eli and Fiona, oblivious to the listening ears, sat in silence.

All four pondered their previous relationships, and what it would take to reconnect with the one they loved.


	5. Chapter 5

A book dropped from his locker and he sighed. Being crippled really sucked. He moved his crutch over so he could lean down to get his book which now lay open on the floor.

"Let me get that," a voice came from beside him. Adam leaned over and grabbed the English textbook. He handed it to Eli with a warm smile on his face. Eli muttered a thank you and gave Adam a look that held a mixture of confusion and surprise.

Adam just nodded his head and flashed Eli another warm smile before walking in the other direction. Eli just watched the sophomore walk down the hallway. _That was weird_, he thought. Once Adam was around the corner Eli shrugged off the odd incident and thought nothing more of it.

That was until English class actually started. Eli took his regular seat in front of Clare and kitty corner to Adam. He wasn't especially looking forward to this class, but he couldn't avoid his former girlfriend and former best friend forever.

Adam strolled into class just before the bell rang and walked to his seat. He gave Eli a friendly smile before sitting down and enveloping himself in his class work.

As the class continued to do their work, Eli found himself looking back at Adam every few seconds. After the incident at his locker this morning and now all the friendly smiles he was getting from the sophomore, Eli was worried about what Adam was planning. Most people wouldn't guess it, but Adam was devious when it came to schemes; he was Eli's best friend once.

The bell rang signaling the end of the class period. Students eagerly jumped out of their desks and made a mad dash for the door. And once again, Eli felt annoyance with the fact that he had crutches.

He couldn't really blame anyone; it was his fault after all. He was the one who had decided to crash Morty. He was the one who had denied all this mental health problems. He was the one who had refused to let go of Clare.

"Need help over there, man?" Adam's voice brought Eli out of his deep thoughts. He looked up to see Adam standing by Mrs. Dawes desk with a smile on his face.

Eli pushed himself up, suddenly annoyed. "That's it," he said slowly making his way to Adam, who looked like a lost child. "What's with the niceness? First, you go and yell at me for what I did to Clare! Then, you help me with my books! And now you're offering to help me?" Eli spoke angrily. "What's your game, man? Because I don't want to play."

Adam shook his head. "No game," he said calmly. "I just thought you could use a friend right now. And, by process of elimination of Morty and Clare, that friend would be me."

"Why now? Just a few days ago you wouldn't even speak to me. And when you did it was just to get angry with me," Eli questioned.

Adam shrugged and folded his arms as he leaned against the wall behind him. "Clare and I may have overheard a conversation between you and…and," Adam's voice fell from confident to hurt. Eli instantly knew who Adam was implying. "Fiona. Anyway, I just thought about how I had never given you the benefit of the doubt. You were always a pretty awesome friend Eli," Adam said sincerely. Eli let up a bit on his aggressive demeanor, but still held a tight frown.

"So what? We become friends again?" Eli asked. Adam shook his head. "And what about Clare? Won't see be awfully upset that you're friends with the boy she hates?"

"I was thinking I'd be a middle man between the two of you," Adam said as if it were obvious. "You guys were friends once," he pointed out.

"Yeah, emphasis on the _once_. She hates me now, dude!" Eli's anger had turned to sadness and rejection. And that was when Adam realized that he and Clare weren't the only ones heartbroken.

Adam gave his friend a mischievous smile. "Or so you think," he said devilishly. Then, Adam walked out. Eli stared at him with amazement before limping off after him.

"Hey! Adam! What do you mean 'or so I think'?" Eli called after the younger boy who had already disappeared around the corner.

Adam heard the faint cry of Eli's now hopeful voice. He felt bad for what he was doing to Clare – going behind her back and talking to Eli. But he felt even worse for the selfishness behind it. The only reason Adam had said those things was because he wanted Eli to talk him up in front o Fiona (it was no longer a big secret that they two had become a bit closer for similar reasons to Adam and Clare's new bond). After hearing her say she did love him, Adam wanted to talk to her, but couldn't face her. The next best thing? Have Fiona come to him.

But this was helping Clare too right? She still loved Eli and this would allow them to fall back in love again, right? He was doing a good thing for everyone. He hoped.


	6. Chapter 6

"So, he just told you Clare might still love you?" Fiona asked Eli confused. Over the past few weeks, the two had become close because of their previous ruined relationships. They both still felt awful about what they did to Adam and Clare, but didn't know how to fix it.

Eli shook his head, also puzzled. "Well, what are you going to do?" Fiona asked him.

Eli had been thinking about that for a while. "I was thinking about going and talking to Clare. I mean, Adam said she still loves me and I still love her so why not gives us another try," Eli said still unsure about his decision.

"Speak of the devil," Fiona said as Adam walked by her and Eli in an animated discussion with Drew. He had a huge smile on his face and Fiona sighed.

"What about you? Adam talk to you?" Eli asked after noticing Fiona's saddened expression. She shook her head and sighed again.

"Hey, if you want to talk to Clare, now might be your only chance," Fiona said still upset about seeing Adam so happy. She tilted her head towards a sophomore with auburn curls standing at her locker. Eli smiled widely and got up from the bench.

Eli felt his feet take him across the hallway to where Clare was currently standing. He smiled in her direction, but she didn't see.

"Hey Blue Eyes," Eli greeted Clare with a warm smile and gentle voice.

Clare, startled, turned. Her face held a sour look of annoyance. "What do you want Eli?" she asked bluntly. Her venom stung Eli a bit and his grin faltered. But then he remembered what Adam had told him.

"Just to talk with you," Eli shrugged and said it as if the two had been talking for the past few weeks. Clare stared at him with eyes full of anger.

"I don't want to talk to you," Clare said with a clenched jaw and gritted teeth. Eli's smile disappeared.

"But you still love me," Eli argued.

"No, I don't. You've changed and I don't like the new possessive, suffocating, unpredictable you," Clare said with her arms crossed. Eli opened his mouth to argue but Clare silenced him with her hand. "Shut it Eli! I don't want to talk to you! I don't love you so just leave me alone!" Clare demanded. She turned on her heel and walked away in a huff.

Eli was left standing at her locker extremely lost. Adam had told him – oh course, Adam! Eli curled his hand into a fist before spinning around to head in the direction he saw Adam walk in previously.

"Adam!" Eli called angrily when Adam came into view. He was leaning against his locker and looked up at an angry and hurt Eli. Adam smiled.

"Hey Eli," Adam said innocently.

"What the hell man?" Eli yelled. He expected Adam to get confused, but was surprised when he saw Adam break out into a scheming smirk. "I talked to Clare. No, actually she just yelled at me about hating me and not loving me anymore. Why did you tell me she still loves me?"

Adam's smirk grew. "Doesn't feel so good, does it?" he asked. "Being manipulated."

Adam broke out into a full smile when he saw Eli's puzzled look. "Yeah, I manipulated you because I knew you'd confront Clare. I wanted you to hear her words now that you've gotten help. I wanted the breakup to sink into a stable minded you because I don't want you to ever hurt Clare again."

"Adam, how could you do that to me?" Eli asked pained. Adam was his best friend – once. "Why would you manipulate me like that? It hurts man."

Adam laughed a bit. "Do you get it now; what Clare felt? You did the same to her. Don't blame me; I helped show you _why_ she ended it," Adam stated before he walked away from Eli.

As Eli went through the rest of the day, he thought about Adam's words. Now Eli did understand what he had done to Clare; what she had meant. He could officially say that he had just gotten a taste of his own medicine and it sucked. Maybe now, Eli could relate to Clare; maybe even reform some sort of friendship. He silently thanked Adam for giving him understanding and a way in with Clare.


	7. Chapter 7

After hearing Fiona and Eli talk Clare knew she had to do something. At the time, she didn't know what; however, now she knew what to do.

Clare, with a determined look upon her face, stomped her way through the crowed hallways of Degrassi Community School. When her eyes set on her target, Clare softened not wanting to give the wrong impression.

"You should know how it feels," Clare said once she was finally close enough. The brunette senior spun around to face her. "Being used."

Clare smiled triumphantly when no response came. "No one is stupid you know. Everyone knows that you dated a closest homosexual last year so he could hide his sexual orientation," Clare said matter-of-factly. Fiona's eyebrow rose as she listened to Clare, remembering. "I bet you felt used," Clare continued. "Everyone knows the relationship – well fake relationship – didn't end well. And now everyone knows it ended because he refused to believe he was gay. You probably felt bad," Clare said.

Fiona looked at the younger girl as she listened. Where was Clare going with this? She had no idea.

"Now, imagine you were in love with him," Clare's demeanor changed drastically. She went from bubbly and lively to dark and demanding. "Imagine if you loved him and he used you. That probably hurts a lot more. That's what Adam feels," Clare ended.

Fiona, now shocked, stared open mouthed at Clare. After gaining her composure, Fiona said. "That was different. I was with Riley to help him hid the fact that he was gay. I let him use me knowingly. With Adam – "

"You just used him point blank," Clare finished for her. Fiona bit her lip hiding the fact that she had no argument. "The only difference is that not only did you flat out use him, but you also let him fall in love with you."

Clare gave Fiona a disgusted look and turned on her heel. She strutted down the hall in pleasure. This was the second time she told Fiona off. Although Clare was glad she finally seemed to break through to Fiona that what she did was terrible, Clare silently hoped that Fiona understood how Adam felt. After all, she did this for Adam right?

Wrong. _Stop lying to yourself, Clare_, she thought. No, the reason she told Fiona off was so that Fiona would bitch about her to Eli. Eli would be forced to stand up to, now, his only friend if he truly loved her.

So, it was a bit unorthodox to go about making Eli see how lonely it is without her, but it would prove to be affective. At least, she hoped it did.


	8. Chapter 8

Fiona bore her eyes into the back of Clare's head as she walked off. Clare had some nerve to confront her like that.

Then again, she did have a point. Although Fiona had allowed Riley to use her to cover his sexuality, it still hurt to know that there was nothing real there. But, in that case, the used knew about being used. In Adam's case, not only did he not know about being used, but he also had fallen in love with the user.

_Me_, Fiona thought to herself, _I'm the user_. Her heart sank when she thought about how badly she had hurt Adam. She knew the general pain he was feeling, but he had it ten times worse. Of course, that only made her feel ten times worse.

The only good thing that came out of her little 'talk' with Clare was that now she began to understand what Adam was going through. Sure, she had been heartbroken by the messy breakup, but she was given some relief knowing that she had found herself. All Adam found was the saddening feeling of being used for your body.

Another point to feel hurt over. He hated his body, so to be used for it was one of the absolute worst things to happen. In a way, Fiona understood the hatred of your own body. After being hit by Bobby, Fiona found it hard to look at herself covered in bruises. But, her hatred was only temporary; his was forever.

All in all, she was happy Clare did what she did.

"You looked depressed," Eli deadpanned as he came up to Fiona. Their recent friendship had been lucky. Without each other to lean on for support, much like Adam and Clare, they were sure to collapse.

"I feel bad," Fiona said honestly. Actually, she felt worse than bad after her new understanding; she just didn't know how to put it into words.

Eli sighed, immediately knowing what she was talking about. "You've said that like a billion times these past few days," Eli exaggerated hoping to raise Fiona's gloomy mood. When he noticed her staring off into space, Eli realized that there was something more there. "What happened?" Eli asked cautiously.

"Clare." Fiona saw Eli's face go numb at his former lover's name. "She made me realize that I know the pain Adam's in. Maybe not a severely, but I know it. Now that I finally understand him, I can relate to him. I just wish he'd listen."

Listening, Eli suddenly felt rage take over. He was mad that Adam and Clare were playing some sort of game with him and Fiona and he didn't like it one bit. They get it, being used and manipulated sucks; why keep playing.

But there was something missing; a piece he didn't have. Why would Clare make Fiona feel used and Adam make him feel manipulated? Why not the other way around?

Eli smirked. He got it. They were trying to get him and Fiona to talk about them. Neither wanted to seem desperate, but neither wanted to be out of his and Fiona's life forever. They wanted him and Fiona to talk about them; they wanted to make him and her seem like the desperate ones.

But that also meant one more thing; they wanted their relationships back.

When Eli tuned back into Fiona, she was still talking. Eli raised his hand to silence her. "Hey, I have an idea." Fiona looked puzzled. "Look, those two obviously want us to talk about them so that we'll go to them and seem desperate. What they don't get is that we are desperate. So I think we just walk right on up to them and force them to talk to us. We all deserve some better closure."

Fiona thought for a moment before nodding. And with that, the two headed down the halls to where Adam and Clare sat during their free period. It was now or never.


	9. Chapter 9

"Alright, you guys win," Eli threw his hands up in fake surrender. Clare and Adam faced him with quizzical looks. "We get it; being used and manipulated sucks." Fiona nodded in agreement.

"We are really sorry and wish we could take it all back," Fiona said quickly to both of them. She then turned her attention to Adam. He met her eyes with intensity. "Adam," her voice was soft.

Adam gulped trying to keep his gaze steady. He so badly wanted to kiss her, but it wasn't going to happen.

"I'm really sorry for using you like I did. I wasn't even sure I was using you until that night," Fiona said with sadness in her eyes. "You're a guy, 100 percent; I'm gay."

Adam nodded his head. This seemed like a new twist on 'it's not you, it's me.'

"But that doesn't mean I didn't love you," Fiona pointedly told him. "Adam, I love you. Maybe not in the same way that you love – loved me, but I do. If I could, I would take back everything I did to you if it meant having you around. You're amazing Adam and you have no idea how much I wish I could love you the same way."

Adam averted his eyes for a moment thinking of what to say. Eli and Clare sat silent, waiting. He turned back. "I will always love you, Fiona. But…" Adam searched for the words, "you degraded me; made me feel unaccepted. I trusted you and you took advantage."

"Adam, I know what it's like to be used."

"Not like this," his voice held an even tone though he was shaking internally, "not to be used for the body you hate."

Fiona reached out to him and caressed his cheek. "You, Adam Torres, are the perfect guy who deserves the best. I know it's a lot to ask because of your feelings towards me, but I really miss having you as a friend. Maybe we could just start over?" Fiona asked hopefully.

"I love you, but you don't love me. It just doesn't work out," Adam responded.

"Adam," Clare said to him, "you know as well as I do that that is not true. You're just looking for excuses not to be around her."

"And what about you?" Adam asked bitterly. "You do your best to stay away from Eli."

Eli felt shocked. He knew she didn't want to be around him, but to hear it said out loud stung him deeply. "That's not the same," Clare argued.

"You're right," Adam said. "You both still love each other the same way, but you're just too stubborn to admit it!"

There was silence for a moment. Eli spoke up. "Do you still love me Clare?"

"Eli," Clare was on the verge of tears, "I will always love you. But it's hard to forgive – "

"Pleas, try," Eli begged. "I was sick, but I'm getting help; I'm getting better. If we love each other then why let go?"

"I…I…" Clare stumbled on the words. Suddenly, Eli's lips were pressed against hers. It felt so right to move their lips together effortlessly. When they pulled apart, both were smiling with their eyes shut. "I really miss you."

Eli smiled, not smirked, smiled. "But things have to go slowly. I need to rebuild trust with you," Clare said sternly. "We need to learn to understand better." Shaking his head happily, Eli agreed. His hand found Clare's and they intertwined fingers; it felt so good to have each other again.

"Now you two," Clare demanded of Adam and Fiona, "kiss and make up already."

"I can't Clare," Adam said dejectedly. Fiona gave him a hurt and puzzled look. "Don't you guys get it? Being friends won't work because I love her as more than that. And being together isn't an option at all. I'm sorry, but I think this is it."

Fiona felt a tear roll down her cheek. A tear rolled down Adam's as well. Seeing him visibly upset pained her. Just then, something took over her; Fiona didn't know what. As Adam wiped the tear off his face Fiona closed the distance between their lips. She didn't know why, maybe it was because seeing Eli and Clare kiss and make up influenced her or because she missed the feel of his lips on hers, but she liked it. Although he didn't kiss back, Adam savored the few seconds of closeness before pushing her off.

"What are you doing?" Why are you toying with me?" Adam asked with just as much curiosity as confusion.

"I…I don't know…why that just happened," Fiona stammered out. Clare and Eli shared a knowing look.

"Because you love each other," Eli clarified. "And will do anything to have each other."

"But you're gay," Adam stated. Fiona didn't say anything. "You are gay, aren't you?" Adam was now abrasive.

"I thought so," Fiona said also confused. "I mean, I thought because the only relationship that I felt something in was with you meant it was because you were transgendered. I've never felt like this about any other guys so I figured it had to do with your body."

Eli laughed a bit. When the others shot him a look he explained. "Just because you like a transgendered doesn't mean you're gay." Fiona went to interrupt saying she knew that but Eli continued. "You only looked at the obvious difference between Adam and other guys. In all honestly, you love Adam the same way he loves you, it just took you a long time and some self discovery to find that out."

"So, I'm not gay, but I thought I was," Fiona thought out loud. "That explains why I haven't felt like this about a girl before either!" The four broke out into laughter. "So?' she looked at Adam expectantly.

His smile faltered. "I want to say that we can start over, but I don't think we can," he said. Fiona's face fell. "But maybe we could if you just visited a counselor; just to be sure you're not gay and that you like me for me."

A smile slid back onto Fiona's face at Adam's light tone. The four began to walk off.

"So Clare," Adam called. Her head swiveled to face him. "How does that book end?" he asked playfully.

"Book?" Eli and Fiona asked in unison.

Clare giggled. "Yes book. I'm titling it: The Tale of the Used and Manipulated. And it has a happy ending," Clare added.

"Good, I like happy endings," Adam smiled as he reached for Fiona's hand. They smiled alongside Eli and Clare.

_Me too_, Eli, Clare, and Fiona all thought as they four walked out of school as two newly formed couples.


End file.
